1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to platforms, and more particularly, to a floating platform system or apparatus and method of making the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Shoreline landing structures such as docks have generally been subjects of challenging structural design because of adverse conditions in which they typically must persist. Some dock structures involve rows of wooden beams used for decking installed on a frame bed with support posts rooted in the ground beneath the water. However, the ground under water is typically soft and structural posts need to extend sufficiently far beneath the ground to provide adequate support for secondary supports and the decking. Equipment and tools required for underwater drilling and installation of posts could thus be expensive and the methods extremely difficult. Furthermore, such docks are generally rigid and their position does not vary with changing waterline or shoreline near which they are installed. Accordingly, at the time of construction, they must be sized to accommodate predictable changes in the proximate shoreline and waterline over their estimated lifetime.
In more recent times floating docks have emerged, which make use of pontoons to maintain the dock structure above the water surface. Although these docks are more flexible and easier to construct than those requiring wood posts, the floating docks have given rise to new obstacles. For example, the amount of material used in such docks results in heavy structures, presenting transport and floating difficulties. Additionally, in absence of posts in the ground, some floating docks incorporate structural decking, which adds to the complexity of the design and to the weight and price of the material and which limits the options for designs and materials used for decking. Moreover, since floating docks lack rigid grounded supports at their transverse boundaries, they may lack sufficient torsional rigidity and be vulnerable to instability when subjected to uneven loading on their decking or on their mooring on the sides of the dock.
A method of constructing and a system for a floating platform is needed that is compact, exhibits sufficient torsional rigidity, and is easy and cost-effective to construct.